NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. –
Army Col. Samuel R. Miller relinquished command of Defense Logistics Agency Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, to Navy Capt. Andrew E. Henwood during a ceremony held at Defense Distribution Center, Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, Aug. 9.
Navy Rear Adm. Michael A. York, commander, DLA Distribution, presided over the ceremony.
“Col. Miller’s unwavering focus on people—readiness, training, and professional development—solidified his organization as a training center of excellence. He built on existing civilian professional development courses and brought best practices to expand professional development across DLA Distribution,” York said. “Sam’s performance during his tour of duty has been absolutely superior and has set the standard for the Defense Logistics Agency.”
As the commander of the Defense Department’s largest distribution center in DLA, Miller oversaw over 10 million square feet of storage space for nearly 850,000 unique stock numbers valued at $20 billion dollars.
His team of more than 1,400 DOD civilians and 16 joint uniformed service members operate 52 warehouses at two geographic locations in New Cumberland and at the Naval Support Activity in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The DLA Distribution, Susquehanna team is responsible for handling everything from container consolidations and logistics support to special missions like foreign military sales, medical kitting, and the storage and shipment of hazardous materials.
DLA Distribution, Susquehanna is also the distributor of more than 55% of weapons systems repair parts for the Defense Department, shipping repair parts and materiel directly to the warfighter and other activities worldwide. Under Miller’s leadership, the organization received stored, and distributed more than one million COVID-19 and 6.8 million influenza vaccines to more than thirty-five countries without a single loss.
Miller led his organization through modernization efforts at the Eastern Distribution Center aimed at increasing automated storage and increased pick rate capabilities. These efforts were completed with zero operational impact and enable the readiness and lethality of our armed forces.
“While modernizing has been a critical mission during my tenure, DLA Distribution, Susquehanna has continued outstanding support to our warfighter,” Miller said. “I stand on the shoulders of giants. I’m immensely grateful for the opportunity to command this fine organization for the past two years.”
Henwood relieves Miller and was previously assigned as the Aviation Operations director for Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support.
“You step into this role at a time when the strategic landscape is rapidly evolving, and the importance of logistics and sustainment in our national defense strategy has never been more pronounced,” York said. “I know you are the perfect fit for this critical leadership assignment.”
Henwood shared gratitude for Miller’s leadership and his vision for his time in command.
“DLA Distribution Susquehanna is the crown jewel of the DLA Distribution team, and I look forward to the journey we will take to modernize our depot to ensure we’re ready to surge to meet any tasking,” Henwood said. “Unity is the strength of every high performing organization. Unity of purpose and unity of effort to support our global warfighters, and most importantly, unity as patriots of this great nation. I look forward to our next two years together.”
About Navy Capt. Andrew Henwood:
Navy Capt. Andrew E. Henwood is a native of Media, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in history. He has completed the Executive Development Program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and holds a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
After successful completion of course work at the Navy Supply Corps School in Athens, Georgia, Henwood was assigned to USS San Jacinto as Assistant Supply Officer from 2002 through 2004. Collateral duties included Officer-In-Charge of the ship’s Visit, Board, Search and Seizure team, which conducted boardings of terrorist-suspected ships in the Eastern Mediterranean. During deployment, it participated in Tomahawk strike missions in the opening hours of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
From 2004 to 2005, he served as Fuels Officer, Naval Support Facility, Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory. Duties included fuel support for U.S. Air Force bombing missions in Afghanistan as well as support of tsunami relief operations in Indonesia. Henwood served as Branch Head for Common Avionics and Flag Aide to the Commander, Naval Inventory Control Point, Philadelphia, from 2005 to 2007. From 2007 to 2009, he served as Supply Officer aboard USS Cole. During his tenure, it earned three consecutive awards of the Blue “E” for Logistics Excellence, the Battle “E”, and was selected as winner of the Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Award for excellence in Food Service.
From 2009 to 2012, Henwood was assigned as Executive Officer of DLA Distribution, Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, the largest warehousing and distribution center in DOD. He served as Director of the P-8/P-3 Integrated Weapons System Team at Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, from 2014-2017 and was then assigned as Chief, Readiness Division in the Subsistence Supply Chain at DLA Troop Support from 2017- 2019. From 2019-2021, he served as Supply Officer aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, completing back-to-back deployments to 6th/5th Fleets including a record-setting 206 consecutive days at sea in support of Operations Inherent Resolve, Freedom Sentinel and Final Countdown. His team was twice awarded the Blue “E” for Logistics Excellence, the Battle “E”, and garnered the Ney Award. He most recently served as Director of Aviation Operations at NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia.
Henwood is a member of the Defense Acquisition Corps and is a Joint Qualified Officer. His NAVSUP Logistics Cell team earned the prestigious Admiral Stan Arthur Logistics Team of the Year award for innovation and excellence for 2016 and was also selected as NAVSUP’s Logistics Team of the Year. A qualified Navy Parachutist, he has completed Army Airborne/Jump training and is a qualified Naval Aviation and Surface Warfare Supply Officer. His decorations include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two awards, Meritorious Service Medal, two awards, Navy Commendation Medal, three awards, Joint Service Achievement Medal, two awards, Navy Achievement Medal and various unit and service awards.